The Need for Environmental Awareness Training Within DOD

The DoD Components are working to establish and implement training and development programs for their environmental staffs. However one important group of people who have been overlooked are the decision makers who do not see themselves as being involved in 'environmental business,' yet who nevertheless make decisions that could have substantial impacts on environmental programs. This report identifies 83 nonenvironmental job positions where decisions impacting the environmental program are made regularly. It also identifies 20 specific program areas (e.g., policy/guidance development, resources allocation, and budget development) in which those decision makers are employed and/or are likely to have major impacts. A color-coded matrix then relates each decision making position to the appropriate program areas in order to assess environmental awareness training requirements. While not designed to turn people into environmental experts, vigorous application of the levels of training recommended herein will help to ensure that environmental program requirements are considered in all decision making. This in turn will lessen negative impacts to efficient effective program management, and should result in better application of critically scarce resources at the time and place they are needed most. Environmental awareness, Environmental awareness training, Nonenvironmental decision maker. Environmental awareness, Environmental awareness training, Nonenvironmental decision maker.